Fireside Chat @ Appworks
John Fan / PicCollage
500 Startups
"A startup is...
a temporary organization
designed to search for a
repeatable and scalable
business model."
-- Steve Blank
Startup "Gold Rush" Periods
Electricity, ~1890
Electronic Appliances, ~1900
Automobiles (Detroit), ~1910
Movies (Hollywood), ~1910
Semiconductors, 1965-1987
Personal Computers, 1975-1989
Internet, 1995-2000
Mercedes Benz, 1885
First version of PicCollage
Daily Active Users
Top app in US and Japan.
Tips for catching a MARKET wave
Look for technological shifts,
new behaviors, new platforms.
Be an early adopter,
play with new tech,
and predict the trend.
Talk with users about pain points.
VR / AR
MARKET
PRODUCT
TEAM
"PRODUCT-MARKET FIT"
Do you have a PRODUCT
that fits the MARKET?
You'll know when you reach Product-Market Fit!
BEFORE vs. AFTER
Classify the following tasks as BEFORE or AFTER Product-Market Fit:
Talk to potential users
Run Facebook ad campaign
Talk to journalists to get PR
Hire a salesperson
Study analytics
Create a business plan
Startups are in SEARCH mode.
SEARCH for
Product-Market Fit.
SEARCH for
a repeatable and scalable
business model.
Search vs. Execution
Lean Startup
Ways to SEARCH for PRODUCT
Get out of the building.
Talk with users and find pain points.
Brainstorming. Creativity. Design thinking.
Lightweight prototypes and fast experiments.
Build. Measure. Learn.
Small teams and fast decision-making.
User Interviews
Persona
MARKET
PRODUCT
TEAM
Startups are like a Sports Team
Just like playing sports, each person needs to keep their eye on the ball and be aware of their teammates.
Lessons from Sports
Keep your eye on the ball.
Be proactive but communicate.
Enjoy playing the game.
Win as a TEAM!
Organization Scale
from "Blitzscaling" class, taught by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn
Catch a MARKET wave
Search for PRODUCT
Win as a TEAM
References:
Lean Startup, Eric Ries
Blog posts by Steve Blank
Essays by Paul Graham
Blitzscaling, Reid Hoffman
How to Start a Startup, Sam Altman
Appworks Fireside Chat 2018-03-16
By piccollage
